As of late June 2020, the United States Postal Service (USPS) lists 103 international mail disruptions as a result of COVID-19pandemic-related complications, with the number of disruptions and specific locations changing regularly.1 There are 20 states that only allow military and overseas voters to return their voted ballots to their local election officials by mail, and these voters will struggle to find a way to cast a ballot.
For example, consider the hypothetical case of Mary, an American citizen living abroad. She is registered to vote in a state that only allows voted ballots to be returned by mail. Mail service is suspended to and from the country where she is living, so she cannot return her ballot by mail to her local election office in the U.S. Mary is informed that her only other option is to take her ballot to the U.S. Embassy for transport though diplomatic mail. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic many cities such as Rome, Italy and Santiago, Chile, have placed significant travel restrictions on its residents, only allowing them to leave the house for trips to the grocery store or pharmacy. Mary lives in a city with such restrictions and is not permitted to travel across the city to the embassy to access diplomatic mail. Therefore, Mary has no way to return her ballot in order for it to be counted.
For the 20 states that only allow ballot return via mail, there are limited options to ensure that overseas voters like Mary have access to federal election ballots. While the number of voters who may fall into this category could be relatively small, these individuals have the right to vote and each of their votes matter and could change the outcome of an election.
